ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF VEGETABLE CULTIVATION IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2022-09
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UHF,NAUNI
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present study entitled “Economic analysis of vegetable cultivation in Himachal Pradesh’’ was conducted during
2021-22. Himachal Pradesh provides opportunity for production of different vegetables for sustainable income to farmers.
The major vegetable crops grown in Himachal Pradesh are Pea, Tomato, Capsicum, Potato, Cauliflower and Cabbage which
account for 63.43 per cent of total vegetable area and about 67.62 per cent of total vegetable production. Stratified multistage
random sampling technique was used to select the vegetable growers. The selection of sampled vegetable growers was done
from all the four agro-climatic zones of the state. At the first stage, two blocks from each agro-climatic zone were selected
on the basis of area under vegetable cultivation. At the second stage, 5 Gram Panchayats were selected from each selected
block.At the third stage, 10 farmers from each selected Gram Panchayat were selected randomly for collection of the primary
data. Thus, sample of 400 vegetable growers were selected for the present study. Results of the study revealed that literacy
rate was found 86.85 per cent with literacy index of 2.65 indicating low quality of education. Average land holding was
found to be maximum (1.02h a) in Zone-IV followed by Zone-III (0.92 ha), Zone-II(0.80 ha) and Zone-I (0.73ha).At overall
level, it was 0.87 ha. The cropping intensity (with orchard) was highest in Zone-I(186.53%) and lowest in Zone-
IV(120.67%). In Zone-IV, cropping intensity was low due to more area under fruits. The cost of cultivation was found to be
highest in kharif pea (Rs.173685.54 /ha) followed by tomato (Rs, 167431.18/ha), rabi pea (Rs.157928.15/ha), capsicum
(Rs.154065.76/ha), cauliflower (Rs.144882.53/ha), cabbage (Rs. 142435.82/ha) and potato (Rs.141952.55/ha), respectively.
Among these crops, cauliflower, kharif pea and potato crops were most profitable in Zone-IV with output-input ratio of 2.11,
2.09 and 2.05. Further, capsicum and kharif pea were most profitable in Zone-III and tomato was profitable in Zone-II with
output-input ratio of 2.11. Among all the zones, the estimates of Cobb-Douglas production function determines the
efficiency of each resource used and it showed that labor, FYM, seed, and plant protection chemicals all had a positive and
significant impact on gross returns, whereas fertilizers and plant protection chemicals sometimes had a negative impact on
the gross returns. Further, increasing return to scale was found in kharif pea (1.03) implying that doubling of input will result
in increasing output more than double whereas, cauliflower, capsicum, tomato, potato, cabbage and rabi peas were
decreasing returns to scale. The findings of the study revealed that possibility of increasing the farm profitability by optimum
utilization of the available resources. At overall level, all the factors except family size, consumption habits and marketing
losses have positive and significant impact on marketed surplus. Four main marketing channels were found prevalent in the
study area for marketing of vegetable crops. Channel-A was found most efficient channel but quantity of produce sold
through this channel was lower than other channels. From remaining three channels, channel-B, (Producer- -Wholesaler-
Retailer-Consumer) was found to be the most preferred channel by the vegetable growers in all the zones except Zone-IV.
The majority of the farmers in Zone-IV sold their produce through channel-C. It also observed that producer’s share in
consumer’s rupee was maximum in channel-A (Producer-Consumer) and minimum in channel-C (Producer-Local trader-
Wholesaler-Retailer-Consumer). It also showed that in most of the vegetable crops marketing cost, marketing margin,
transportation cost, labour charges were found adversely affecting the marketing efficiency and volume of the quantity
handled and net price received by the farmer improved the marketing efficiency. Disease, non- availability of the plant
material, irrigation facility, lack of technical knowledge, lack of proper transportation facilities, lack of inadequate of correct
prices and harassment by middlemen were some of the production and marketing problems reported by the farmers in the
study area.